Building Booths
by GimmeBanjo
Summary: Invicta AU: Part honor, part duty, part resilience. Hank is going to get it right this time and a young Seeley Booth doesn’t need protection, he just needs encouragement.
1. My Old Man

Building Booths

Invicta AU: Part honor, part duty, part resilience. Hank is going to get it right this time and a young Seeley Booth doesn't need protection, he just needs encouragement.

* * *

A/N: This goes along as a supplemental for my story, Invicta. In my own little world, there is a 3rd Booth sibling to go along with Seeley and Jared: Kelly. Please let me know what you think, because I actually have another supplemental piece in the works and a few other stories involving Kelly.

For my House AU, I used The Avett Brothers as a major source of inspiration. Now, it seems to be Stephen Kellogg and The Sixers. I find music to be a huge inspiration when I'm writing, so I apologize if it seems cheesy.

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* * *

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_Looking through the attic and I stumbled across__  
The thoughts I never knew you had__  
Notes that filled the pages of the books that you read  
__Words I wished you would have said, like,__  
School will never matter half as much as they say  
And dreams are for the good and bad__  
And happiness depends on how you handle the day__  
And love is really sorta sad_

_When I see the sun sinking low on the south west horizon__  
And there is no use in lying the way I see it__  
And inside I'm turning red__  
Like an amp from the 60s__  
Like a page from the history in my head  
My old man_

_Nobody listens  
But everyone's talking_

~"My Old Man" Stephen Kellogg and The Sixers

* * *

Alice Booth pulled her red Volvo station wagon into the driveway and instantaneously, three kids, ages 3, 8 and 13 spilled out of the car. An older woman, dressed in a sensible dress and wearing an apron stood awaiting their arrival on the front porch of an old, Victorian house.

"Seeley!" The woman called with a smile "Jared! Kelly!" She swept down the front steps and swooped up the two youngest children in a big hug. Seeley hung back, watching with a smile as a whirlwind of blond and brown hair attacked his grandmother. "Seeley?" She called out. "This is not how you greet an old woman who loves you."

With a shrug, Seeley followed his siblings. Feeling too old to be so foolish, he reached over their heads and quickly hugged his grandmother.

"That will do I guess." His grandmother smiled gently

"Alice!" Hank Booth, the children's grandfather, came out of the house. "Hi kids." He waved briefly and continued down the path.

"Why don't we go inside." Martha, the grandmother, ushered the kids inside. "Seeley," She looked over her shoulder at the teenager. "Let them talk. I made pie." Seeley smiled at his grandmother and reluctantly followed.

"Alice," Hank approached Alice Booth slowly, holding his hands out in surrender. "I hope you understand."

"No, Hank," Alice shook her head as she pulled out a large, pink overnight bag. "Thank you."

"I saw Joe go after Seeley…"

"And you did what you thought was right." Alice nodded, handing a similar blue bag to Hank.

"My own son." He shook his head. "I thought I taught him better."

"How long do you think you'll keep them?" She asked quietly

"Until they're married if I have to." Hank smiled. "Alice, you're family and you're more than welcomed to stay with us."

"Thank you, but," She shrugged. "I have work to do, a marriage to save."

"Alice…"

"Hank," She held up a hand. "He's my husband, the father of my boys, I owe it to not only myself, but my children to try and fix this. If I can talk to Joe…"

"Joe won't listen, Alice." Hank shook his head. "He's angry. He's spiteful. He's too far gone."

"But I can try, Hank." Alice smiled, almost giving away her feelings of defeat.

"Then good luck." Hank pulled Alice into a hug. "I'll take care of the midgets."

"Hank," Alice pulled away with tears in her eyes. "Thank you."

"Come back when you're ready to start over again." Hank said solemnly

"Take care of my kids." She pulled out her keys. "Let them know I love them dearly."

"They won't question it." Hank nodded. "I'll see to it."

*

Jared was half into the cupboard when he pulled back and produced an old phone book.

"Will this do?" He asked his older brother and Seeley nodded his consent. He took the book over to a chair at the kitchen table with two other books already piled on top.

"There, Kells." Seeley stood back. "See if that's high enough."

"But I don't want to sit on books." She stuck out her bottom lip

"You have to, Munchkin," Hank smiled from the stove "You won't reach the table."

"But at home, I don't have to sit on books." She whined, still standing next to the chair.

"But we're not home, Kelly." Seeley tried to reason. "We're at Pops' and Grandma's. And sometimes, you just have to sit on books."

"I have my own chair at home." She repeated

"Well we're not going home ever!" Jared said angrily as he slid into his seat next to Kelly's chair. "So you sit on books or you don't eat dinner."

"Mighty harsh words coming from an 8 year-old, Mr. Booth." Martha came around the corner and smiled a warning smile at Jared.

"Sorry." He looked down at the table.

"Are you allowed to sit on books at preschool?" Seeley attempted another angle. Kelly shook her head. "Then see? Pops' and Grandma's is cooler than preschool."

Kelly's face lit up with his reasoning. She approached her chair and Seeley got into his seat across from her.

"I can't climb-" Before Kelly could finish her statement, Hank came up behind her and lifted her up in the air above his head and then gently placed her on top of the pile of books.

"There. Now, we're ready for dinner." He winked at Seeley.

"What's for dinner?" Jared asked excitedly.

"A little of this, a little of that." Hank shrugged as he made his way back to the stove.

"Pie?" Kelly asked with a big smile.

"Nope." Seeley shook his head and looked at Kelly "We're going to eat you."

"No you're not!" Kelly squealed with disgust, shaking her head so furiously that her pigtails almost hit Jared in the face.

"I think Kelly would be delicious!" Martha smiled from across the kitchen.

"What do I taste like?" Kelly asked seriously.

"Spinach." Jared scrunched his nose up as Seeley grabbed Kelly's arm from across the table and took a playful nibble on her hand.

"And boogers." He nodded. "What do you think Pops?"

Hank came over and pretended to take a bite of her hair.

"I taste peanut butter." He nodded critically.

"Guys," Kelly rolled her eyes, acting older than her three years, "You can't eat people."

"No you can't," Martha agreed. "That's called cannibalism."

"Cannon-bald-ism?" Kelly looked up at her grandmother.

"That doesn't sound fun." Jared agreed.

"It's also illegal." Seeley pointed out and smiled at Kelly "So you're off the hook for tonight."

"So grilled cheese instead?" Hank walked over to the table

"Yes!" Kelly screamed, half out of relief that she wouldn't actually be eaten.

*

Jared sat in the basement of his grandparent's house playing with toys he felt were more appropriate for boys than for little girls, but that didn't stop his sister. Holding their grandmother's emptied candy dish and a G.I. Joe action figure's rifle, she crawled up and sat down next to her brother.

"Green bean soup?" She asked, playing a waitress.

"Sure, I guess." He shrugged as he watched her hold the rifle over the bowl and squeeze the pretend juices from it.

"You want ketchup?" She asked as she reached for a toy fire engine and Jared nodded. She handed him the bowl and waited expectantly for him to eat it. He ostentatiously ate the soup, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and then forced a burp, causing Kelly to giggle.

"Best soup ever, Munchkin." He smiled and handed back the bowl.

"Thanks." She smiled as she crawled off. "I'll make you more."


	2. A With Love

_And it had nothing to do with you__  
And it had nothing to do with me__  
And it had nothing to do with love__  
And maybe that's the craziest thing in the whole biography_

_Maybe someday you'll forgive yourself__  
But the family last time I checked__  
Is a group of people who give you love__  
When you least expect__  
For this heart that we cannot protect__  
I got this love and this great respect  
For this heart that we cannot protect_

~ "A (With Love)" Stephen Kellogg and The Sixers

* * *

Bored one weeknight, Hank and Martha had played "Most likely to…" about their grandchildren. One would say a superlative and then they would agree who it would fit best: Seeley, Jared or Kelly. Most likely to sing and dance went hands down to Kelly. After some debate, most likely to pick a fight went to Jared. After most likely to eat a pickle and most likely to be married by 21, Hank realized that Seeley hadn't been represented enough.

"Martha," He had said, leaning back into the couch. "What about our Seeley."

Martha smiled, adoring her husband for taking paternal protection of the child.

"Most likely to go to college on sports scholarship?" Martha attempted

"I don't know," Hank shook his head. "Jared has a good little arm on him." He took a sip of his coffee and smiled. "I think Seeley is most likely to make us proud."

"That's a nice, blanket sentiment." Martha nodded.

"No Mar," Hank shook his head. "That boy, he's got heart. He's going to do great things if we can only make him see that."

Hank recalled the conversation as he sat in the living room reading the newspaper for the second time that day. He looked around and didn't see any of his grandchildren. He knew Jared had gone down to the basement to play and that Kelly had followed like a lost puppy, but he had no idea where Seeley had run off to. He vaguely remembered hearing someone head upstairs, so he threw down the newspaper and started for the stairs.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw movement in the kitchen. Warily, he approached and smiled when he saw his eldest grandson at the kitchen table, hunched over a text book.

"What are you doing, Shrimp?" Hank asked loudly as he made his way into the kitchen.

"Algebra." Seeley grumbled as he threw down his pencil.

"Your grandmother is a great mathematician, do you want me to go get her?" He offered and Seeley shook his head.

"It's not due till Monday. I'll finish it over the weekend."

"What's the phrase, why put off till tomorrow what you can do today?" Hank pulled up a seat and sat across from him.

"That's for chores, Pops." Seeley laughed. "This is algebra."

"Ah, I see the difference." Hank nodded "How are you holding up, Shrimp?"

"Fine," Seeley shrugged "I guess."

"Use your words, Seeley." Hank encouraged. "Words are going to get you through a lot of tough situations."

"I guess I'm confused." Seeley said after moment.

"Why?" Hank nodded

"I don't understand what I did. I don't understand why we're here." Seeley looked exasperated. "Is it my fault we're here?"

"No." Hank said quickly. "You didn't do anything. Shrimp," He said uncomfortably "This is hard to explain, but your dad… He's got things he has to work through and I think it's best for everyone that you kids just stay away for a while."

"Why? I can handle myself!" Seeley objected.

"Maybe you can." Hank conceded "But can Jared and Kelly? What would you do if something happened to them?"

"I don't know." Seeley shrugged.

"They need you, Shrimp." Hank sighed and reached across the table and put his hand on his young grandson's chest. "This." He tapped his hand against where Seeley's heart was beating rhythmically. "This is what you have that your father doesn't have. This is what's going to make you special. You've got the heart of a Booth, so show them what that means."

"Do they have the heart of a Booth?" Seeley asked seriously and waited for his grandfather's response.

"Kelly does." Hank nodded "Jared has it when it counts, which is all that matters."

"I have to keep us together." He agreed. "I have to be strong."

"I'm here, too." Hank promised. "You're not going to do this alone. Family never sacrifices something to get nothing in return, even if it is just the satisfaction of knowing you've all lived to see another day." He sat back and saw his grandson for the first time as to what Seeley was becoming: a young man. "I'm going to teach you how to shoot a gun."

"What?" Seeley sat up and seemed to vibrate with excitement

"Sure, I've got an old BB gun in the attic." Hank leaned forward. "But there are rules."

"Anything! What are they?"

"Only shoot for target practice. If you point that gun at another human being-"

"No shooting people, that's easy." Seeley cut him off.

"The gun stays in my office. You're not going to carry it around."

"I swear, I won't." Seeley leaned forward and looked at Hank with sparkling eyes. "Can we start tomorrow?"

Hank eyed his grandson thoughtfully before conceding with a smile.

"Sure thing, Shrimp."

*

Seeley was lying on his back later that night, looking up at the bottom of the top bunk where his little brother was sleeping. He was lost in thought when he saw out of the corner of his eye a little figure creeping along the hallway and stop in their doorway. He smiled and pretended to be sleeping and he heard the figure shuffle into the room on her hands and knees. A few weeks ago, Kelly had become obsessed with spies and was convinced if she was crawling on the floor, she wouldn't be seen. Suddenly, his bed shook a little and he heard a little voice proclaim, "Ow!"

"Who's there?" He sat up, looking around in mock fear. "Kelly! I didn't see you coming in!"

"I know!" She smiled, resting her chin on the side of his mattress. "I was sneaking. I'm a super sneaker."

"You really are." He grabbed her by the armpits and hauled her into his bed.

"Seeley," She said seriously after she settled in next to him. "I want to go home. I can hear Pops snoring."

"We can't go home right now." Seeley sighed.

"Can you call Alice and have her pick me up?" She insisted. "You and Jared can stay here."

At that moment, Seeley saw two feet dangling over top of his bed and with a thud, Jared fell next to Kelly.

"I want to go home, too." He looked at Kelly. "I miss my friends."

"We've only been here one day!" Seeley looked exasperated. "You two love Pops and Grandma!"

"I know," Jared shrugged "But I feel like we've been banished."

"What does banished mean?" Kelly looked confused.

"It means Mom and Dad don't want us anymore." Jared told her and she looked up at Seeley in terror.

"That's not right, Munchkin. This is like a vacation. We packed our bags, right?" She nodded. "We drove in the car and ended up somewhere totally different than where we started from, so it's a vacation."

"Vacations are supposed to be fun." Jared grumbled.

"Grandma made pie!" Kelly reminded him "That's fun!"

"See?" Seeley smiled as Jared rolled his eyes.

"Seeley, I'm scared." Kelly said after a minute, snuggling closer in to his side. "I think there's a zombie with a green face and big teeth in my closet. And my bed makes funny noises when I move."

"It squeaks?" Jared sarcastically asked

"Like I'm squishing something." Kelly nodded, not catching her brother's sarcasm.

"My bed doesn't have anything under it, you can sleep here tonight and tomorrow morning, we'll fix your bed." Seeley promised as Kelly yawned and smiled. "Do you want to sleep here too, Jared?" He goaded

"Shut up." Jared glared at him, but reluctantly flopped back onto the pillow when Seeley slid over to make room for him.

"Are we in trouble?" Kelly asked after a moment of silence.

"Why would you think that?" Seeley wondered

"Jared said we were bam-ished. Are we in trouble?"

"No," He shook his head and glared at Jared over top of her head "We're not in trouble. But we have to stick together right now."

"Is this going to be forever, Seeley?" Jared asked after a moment, breaking his cold exterior. "Have things changed for good?"

"I don't know." He replied honestly. "But I want you two to know that I'm going to fight for us. We're going to come out of this on the other side like champions."

"I just want to be normal." Jared sighed, crossing his arms over his chest and staring up at the bed above them.

"We're Booths. We aren't normal." Seeley said knowingly. "We're always going to be a little different than everyone else. Maybe a little bit better, hopefully not a little bit worse."

"Are we famous?" Kelly asked sleepily

"Yeah, the only famous Booth I know is the guy who shot Abraham Lincoln." Jared mumbled.

"Kelly," Seeley asked suddenly, "What's your full name?"

"Kelly Ann Booth!" She replied with a giggle

"Jared?"

"Jared Henry Booth." He said roughly

"And I'm Seeley Joseph Booth." Seeley nodded. "No John or Wilkes in there, so I'm pretty sure we're a lot better than the guy who shot Lincoln. I think we're going to be alright."

Both Jared and Kelly seemed to be contemplating his logic when Kelly looked up at him.

"Tell me a story." Seeley couldn't help but laugh at the flighty thought process of a 3 year old.

"Which one." Seeley said reluctantly, not knowing if he could come up with something right now.

"About Bob, Bill and Bonnie." Kelly yawned again. "And a dragon. And spies."

Bob, Bill and Bonnie were three siblings that Seeley and a reluctant Jared had created for Kelly's amusement. They went on adventures and tonight, they outwitted enemy spies, overtook a castle made of the world's strongest steel, and then slayed a dragon that was threatening to eat them all.

As Jared was flamboyantly ending the story, Seeley looked down and saw Kelly was out cold. He looked up at Jared and the story stopped abruptly.

"Dad beat you up, didn't he." Jared said after a minute. "That's why we left. Dad."

"Yeah." Seeley couldn't see the point in hiding it from his brother.

"Dad's a jerk." Jared sighed. "We're going to be fine, right?"

"As far as I can tell." Seeley shrugged. "I can't see the future."

"I think we will." Jared nodded and looked down at Kelly, who was sleeping peacefully, curled into Seeley's side.

"We're Booths." Seeley nodded, hoping he didn't need to explain to Jared what that meant, but he continued. "We'll bounce back and be stronger. Bad stuff is always going to happen, but if we stick together, we're going to get through it all."

"For once, I hope you're right." Jared yawned. He started to get up when Seeley reached over and stopped him.

"The offer to sleep here tonight still stands." Seeley said gently, hoping not to scare away his brother. Gratefully, Jared smiled and put his head back on the pillow that he, Seeley and Kelly had been sharing and closed his eyes.

For the first time in a long time, Seeley thought introspectively, he felt safe. He felt free. Here in the small twin bed, cramped against the wall as his siblings took up the majority of the bed, he knew Jared was right. Things would be just fine.

Lying there in bed, he was overwhelmed with a sense of pride. Pride knowing that Pops was there, supporting them and loving them. Pride because his brother, for once, seemed to be on the same page. Pride for his family, however screwed up they were or would ever be, because he knew they were indeed special. Being a Booth, he decided, didn't imply an unequivocal sense of responsibility. It wasn't a burden, but it was about having the strength and courage to face what came his way and knowing he would never be alone.

People would always rely on him and, with pride, he accepted the challenge.

_But the family last time I checked__  
Is a group of people who give you love  
When you least expect_

_**..fin..**_


End file.
